Food, in this social media age, has taken a substantial upswing in presentation.
- Chefs have became artists (some have literally started to plate with paint brushes).
- Critics are raving about their intricately plated meals.
- Consumers are snapping pictures of everything that they eat (fine dinning restaurants have more flashing lights then most clubs nowadays).
I am not against presentation nor am I for it. I am a lover of food and will accept it with open arms. I’ve eaten…
- Tacos given to me by a sweat drenched man in Mexico…
- Slabs of over priced steak served to me by suspiciously kind waiters and…
- Countless Styrofoam boxes shoved full of mystery meat.
Point is, I love showing off by plating pretentiously but not today…because today…I am…plating…sloppily!
Yes! Everything you read above was a set up to my foodie pun! HAHAHAHA!
I imagine about none of you laughed with me just now but that’s ok. I understand. Let’s get on to what you came here for, this Thai Sloppy Joe.
This dish is inspired by my day’s in elementary school. I didn’t care for the homework, classes or constant reminders that I am Chinese (kid’s would squint their eyes and make a bunch of random sounds like “ching chong chee”). I was upset when they did this but even more when they made a noise that I recognized as a word. Funny from hind sight but not at that moment. There was solace though, between classes and kid’s calling me Buddha, there was lunch time. I loved lunch time like a fat kid loves cake. Now that I think about it, I was the fat kid.
My favorite was the sloppy joe, fries, apple crisp and chocolate milk. I got the Sloppy Joe every chance I got until my friend told me that I was a cannibal for eating it. He told me with complete confidence that Sloppy Joes were made from chopping up everyone named Joe in the world. Since then, I haven’t eaten one…until now. Not for fear but simply because no one sells it.
If you guy’s have been here before then you know that I don’t care for authenticity, thus explaining the…Thai Sloppy Joe! You have this mini mountain of red coconut curry infused beef, slapped in between two buttered buns and presented in a way that is reminiscent of the way the cafeteria lady would…sloppy and with a “take it or leave it” undertone.
So I’ll end it with that. This is a flavorful new take on a dish from my past, do what you want with it. NEXT!
- 1 lb Ground Beef 85/15 (See notes)
- 1 tbsp Neutral Tasting Oil
- 2 clove Garlic Minced
- 1/2 large Onion Minced
- 3 tbsp Red Curry Paste
- 6 oz Coconut Milk
- 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp Fish Sauce
- Fresh Lime Juice To taste
- 1 Cucumber
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 4 oz Rice Vinegar
- 1 oz Sugar
- Place the cucumber slices in a bowl and sprinkle the salt over it. Mix well and allow them to sit for 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, dissolve the sugar in the rice vinegar.
- The cucumbers will have softened and lost some water. Pour out the water and pour the vinegar over the cucumber slices. They are ready to use.
- Over medium heat, saute your mined garlic and onions in 1 tbsp of oil for a 1 minute.
- Add in the red curry paste and stir until fragrant (2-3 minutes).
- Add in the Ground Beef and cook until the meat is browned (4-5 minutes). You don't have to but I recommend removing some of the rendered fat, how much you remove is up to you.
- Add in the coconut milk, brown sugar, and fish sauce. Simmer until you get the consistency you want (mine went for 5 minutes). Add in lime juice and check for seasoning.
- Optional: Toast the bun in a separate pan by melting some butter and placing the bun in for 2-3 minutes on low heat.
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